MARK4474

Users of the world, unite!

Kaplan and Haenlein write an interesting article related to social media and the impacts it has towards the population both online and offline. Describing it as a “revolutionary new trend” that companies need to take advantage off, the increasing popularity of utilizing social media as a means of creating a platform for yourself has its benefits and downfalls (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010).

Creation of a personal webpage is the root of how individuals want to be perceived. Media research and social processes both go hand in hand when defining the two elements of social media. How you present yourself to the online and offline world is rooted back to these two elements as your presence and self-disclosure reveals aspirations, goals, dislikes, etc. This gives power to an individual or a company to reveal to the public what exactly their intentions are and how they intend to get there. Utilizing social media creates an outreach to whichever audience you intend to be your target market. It is relatively low cost, time efficient, and you can sell and create your own content. However, there are risks involved in this act. Companies, for example, may have individuals who have had bad experiences with their services. It is out of the companies control to manage the virtual complaints the individual puts out onto the web. As well, staff members may write negatively about the company, creating an image of an unappealing organization to work for.

After graduation, I intend on utilizing my degree in Human Resource Management in the service industry. Creating an online presence for myself can aid as a potential hiring tool if I can create an appealing image. After reading the article, it became even more evident of how prominent social media is becoming. Relating back to previous assignments we have done regarding YouTube and LinkedIn, the way you portray yourself online can create major opportunities. In the article, “you are not a part of the cyberspace no more” was used in terms of describing your lack of relevance if you do not use Facebook or YouTube (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). I found this point interesting as your Facebook is one of the first things individuals would look you up on. For this reason, I believe the statement holds truth to it as you now need to rely outside the cyberspace to portray yourself in a way that will stand out. When it becomes time to apply for jobs in my industry, I think utilizing both online and offline methods would benefit me the most. For example, handing out resumes both in person and online, and attending networking events and then following up on social media.